IMPACT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING ON
STUDENT PERFORMANCE
Rosa María Mejía, Cindy Hail, and Beth Hurst
he importance of learning and
knowing a foreign/second language is not a new
concept. Throughout history when two
different linguistic groups have come in contact
with each other, the need to communicate
compels them to learn each other’s language.
The benefits of second language acquisition are
numerous, including the ability to communicate
with people from other cultures and countries.
In today’s world of increasing
internationalization, knowing a second language
increases job opportunities and experiences.
Additionally, being fluent in more than one
language eases translation barriers in traveling,
allows reading of original texts in other
languages, and assists in first language
understanding. Recently, foreign language
learning has been shown to help delay the
onset of Alzheimer’s disease (Dell'Amore, 2011;
“Does speaking a foreign language,” 2011; Jha,
2011; Moskowitz, 2011).
Current research indicates a relationship for
children in elementary and middle school
between learning and knowing a
foreign/second language and better scores in
standardized tests (Armstrong & Rogers, 1997;
Cade, 1997; Carr, 1994; Rafferty, 1986; Thomas,
Collier, & Abbott, 1993; Turnbull, Hart, &
Lapkin, 2003). Further, second language (L2)
acquisition has been shown to help children
develop their reading abilities (D'Angiulli, Siegel,
& Serra, 2001; Garfinkel & Tabor, 1991) and
better understand the structure of their native
language and enhance their vocabulary (Curtain
& Dahlberg, 2004).
The cognitive benefits of learning a
foreign/second language are also reflected in
high school students’ abi